Padova. Arte, architettura e paesaggio

According to legend, the city of Padua, Patavium in Latin, was founded by Antenor. Today, Padua is home to one of Europe's most prestigious and oldest universities and is one of Italy's most beautiful and intriguing cities. Padua's charms can be subtle and not always immediately obvious. Tucked into the city, often hidden from view, are some of the most extraordinary masterpieces of Western art, from Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel to the Baptistery designed by Giusto de' Menabuoi, from the Titian frescoes in Saint Anthony's Scoletta to the work of Donatello. Padua is also a city closely identified with water, as it is bounded by the Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers. Padua's streets are a study in contrasts: Narrow passageways typical of small Medieval towns open into grand sweeping squares bordered by ornate palaces and imposing monuments, each one of these squares resembling a small city of its own. Art historian Marco Favetta traces a single narrative thread through the city's long history: Veneration of the ancient. Devotion to classicism makes Padua a city that, despite its renown as a place for forward-thinking scientific and technological research, has cultivated its identity by looking back to its origins in the ancient past and the mythical story of its founding. This richly illustrated large-format volume, with text in Italian and English, shines light on both well-known and undiscovered aspects of the city and then pulls back to look at the province, the beautiful countryside surrounding Padua and the many interesting towns nearby.